Machine fob making metallic slats fob blinds



UNITED STATES PATENT FETS,

JOHN S. SNSON AND VWM. P. FRRAND, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING METALLIC SLATS FOR BLINDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,250, dated December 16, 1856.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN S. SiiNsoN and WILLIAM I. FARRAND, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented al new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Making Slats for lindow-Blinds; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a top view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view.

Similar characters of reference in the several figures denote the same part of the machine.

The usual practice in making slats for revolving iron shutters, has been to cut the slats from the sheet previous to giving them their final shape, which is attended with many difficulties such as the springing` of the slats edgewise, caused by the lengthening of the iron from the action of the cutter, and to correct which, involves much labor and'expense. The shaping or corrugation of the slats has been accomplished by the use of dies and swages which is a slow and laborious process and is liable to cover the work with indentations and also to crook the edges by irregular stretching from the dies acting upon a portion of the surface only, at one time. Shaping has also been accomplished by pressure, but not with satisfactory results, it being practically impossible to arrange the shape of the bed die, to suit the elasticity of the different sheets of iron, consequently producing no uniformity in the shape of the slats, without heat is employed to destroy the elasticity of the iron.

The nature of our invent-ion by which the above defects are remedied, consists in constructing the machine with a bed and drop beam of the form to give t-he slat its shape, and in combining a shear with the drop beam so that the face of the beam will act to corrugate the iron simultaneously with the cutting of the finished slat from the sheet. The details of construction and operation are as follows.

In the drawing B is the bed formed to give the proper shape to the slat, and B is the drop beam whose under surface corresponds in shape with the face of the bed. This beam is hinged to the bed at a; and has on its front end a rack l), so that it may be lifted by the gearing G. IVhen it is elevated the segment e leaves the rack ZJ and the beam drops. The edges fm, and a of the bed and beam constitute a shear for cutting th-e slat from the sheet. Within the bed is a series of stops f each lifted by a spring e when the beam is raised. These give the width of the slat. As the beam falls these stops are driven into the bed, and are held in that position by the points z' on plate Z pressing against them by the force of springs g. As the beam reaches its greatest elevation the plate Z is drawn longitudinally by the lever (Z, releasing the stops and permitting their springs to lift them. The sheet is run upon the bed until arrested by the stops, then the descent of the beam gives the form to the slat, and separates it from the sheet; the corrugating taking place slightly in advance of the shear cut.

By the use of a drop beam with the face to correspond with shape of slat, and hinged at one end, we combine power and speed with the least amount of material, the leverage of the beam giving the power at the hinged end, and the momentum from its accelerated speed at the outer end. And being free from connections in dropping, it exerts the same concussive force and adapts itself to the usual variations, in the thickness of the iron.

By combining the shear with the drop beam, arranged in such manner that the face of the beam acts or corrugates the iron, in advance of the cutter, additional stiffness is given to the iron, increasing the resistance against springing through the action of the shear, thereby producing straight slats; and which entirely dispenses with the expense and inconvenience attending cutting as a separate process, it being accomplished si- .In testimony whereof, We have hereunto slgned our names before tWo subserblng 10 Witnesses.

JOHN S. SANSON. W. P. FARRAND. Witnesses:

W. G. CoNRoW,

C. H. DOWNING. 

